Linkage for May 8 9am to May 14 3pm

Hoops Addict » What Could Have Been: 1998 NBA Draft Ever wish you could go back in time and change the past? Ever think about how things would have turned out if your team didn’t make that terrible pick with their first rounder? Well, here at Hoops Addict, that is exactly what we’ve done.

The Right Person To Guide The Team – Tandem – Online magazine Everyone associated with the team is content with the outcome, beginning with Bargnani. “Coach Triano’s confirmation as coach makes me happy,” said the former Benetton Treviso player. “I’ve never hidden the fact that I was comfortable under him – I became a starter, and enjoyed significantly productive continuity. I feel he is the right person to start a new project with in Toronto.”

Dino Nation Blog: Let’s Get Two So dealing in reality it is likely the Raptors will look to stay at 9 and look for a second pick later in the draft. Most years in the draft I would not be that optimistic about that strategy. But this year I like the plan. There is a lot of question marks in the draft. I would say that a guy picked from those later picks might have just as good a shot as some of the late picks in the lottery. The last time the Raptors had 2 first round picks it landed them Charlie V and Joey G. In the case of both they have had mixed result. Charlie clearly is the guy that may turn out to be a very good player when all is said and done. Joey is well frustrating and a guy that has lived on that potential word for a long time.

Pete Marasmitch » Blog Archive » Pre-draft who’s who: Joe Ingles He went through the very respected Australian Institute of Sport as a scholarship holder — which means he got the best of training in fundamentals. He was a member of the Aussie Boomers Olympic team in Beijing, despite his tender years. He was mired on the bench, but impressed in the closing stages when he would get minutes, including about 8 points in 3 minutes vs Team USA from memory! Good composure for a guy his age.

In short, my concern is that his lack of athleticism at the NBA level will see him overlooked… and that he will end up serving a nice little career in Europe. From memory his father has granted him a British passport… though I might be wrong on that.

Brandon Jennings is looking good Pitted against one of the best defenders in Europe in American guard Ibi Jaaber, Jennings gets to wherever he wants on the court, showing blazing speed, outstanding ball-handling skills, incredible creativity and a real flair for making flashy plays.

Hoops Addict » NBA Mock Draft – May 14 As we all know, the weeks leading up to the NBA Draft can make for an overwhelming flurry of inside scoops, conspiracy theories and rumors from all around the internet; this year appears to be no different.

Fortunately, Hoops Addict has been keeping tabs on all the top college prospects and will be in attendance at NBA pre-draft workouts in Toronto and Washington in May and June to put it all in perspective. While there is a lot up in the air, this is our best attempt to get through all the speculation and give you some insight into who the top 30 prospects are.

What Have You Done For Me Lately? « The D League It’s not so much that the Triano deal bothers me it’s that the deal makes me contemplate what it is the Bryan Colangelo has done as General Manager for the Toronto Raptors since coming in 2006.

Now I know many Raptors fans reading this are already against me because you may feel that Colangelo is the best thing to happen to the Raptors since Damon Stoudamire but if you look at the moves and transactions he’s made since he got here you might understand where I’m coming from.

Chris Bosh would make this Warriors larger than what it has been in the past few years. He would make them longer, with him, Andris Biedrins, and Anthony Morrow on your frontline. This trade would be ideal and fit the running style that Don Nelson hopes to implement once again and provide much help on the inside.

It’s a different story when Goliath knows what’s coming his way Battier’s tale isn’t unique, of course. In fact, it precisely highlights the same sort of theme which lies at the heart of Malcolm Gladwell’s brilliant new feature on the art of the upset. The article argues that if David fights Goliath on the giant’s terms, Goliath will win nearly every time.

FIBA.com – Bargnani wants World Championship in Italy Toronto Raptors star Bargnani, the number one draft pick overall in the NBA a few summers ago, said in an FIP statement: "To organize the 2014 World Championship would represent for our movement a starting point to re-launch basketball and bring the sport to young.

"I would be delighted to compete in such an important event in Italy.

“I played in Rome with the Raptors and it was exciting. It would be fantastic to face the strongest teams in the world in front of our fans."

Chicago is likely to move some players to open up some cap room for this offseason and Marion would be a great fit.

Toth: Nice guys finish first – Sportsnet.ca Despite Triano's poor record, nary a discouraging word was heard about his appointment. The reason for such soft coverage is obvious; Triano is a Canadian hoopster who, along with Steve Nash, turns Canada's basketball media into a bunch of weak-knee wimps. Nash, for example, is considered to be the proverbial "nice guy" and received a virtual free pass from reporters after turning his back on Team Canada in its attempt to qualify for the 2008 Olympics. Triano also happens to be a nice fellow and in the face of such friendliness, media-types tend to be easier than the local town tart. All a pro athlete has to do is smile at us, say hello and mouth "We gave it 110 per cent" into our microphone and they've got a buddy for life no matter how lousy their performance might be.

Corie Blount was a first-round draft pick by the Chicago Bulls in 1993 and played for several other teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors during an 11-year NBA career.

Sorting Out the NBA Free Agent Class of 2010 2010 could be the most talked about free agent class in the history of basketball. It has Mega Stars, Superstars, All-Stars, veterans, and role players. It’s loaded at the top with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Amare Stoudemire. It has veteran stars like Marcus Camby, Ray Allen, and Shaquille O’Neal. This class has everything.

Jay Triano – New title… same guy! Hardly a surprise, the Toronto Raptors made it official by signing long time assistant coach and most recently, interim head coach Jay Triano to a 3 year contract (final year is not guaranteed). Dropping the interim tag he becomes the first ever Canadian to be named a head coach, ironically for the for the lone Canadian team in the NBA.

RaptorsHQ reports from the workouts However for myself, and all of us at the HQ in fact, having only had access to these events for the past few seasons, this never gets old. Part of the reason is because unlike the folks at the Star, Globe and Post etc, we watch college ball with as much religious fervor as we do the NBA, so when these prospects come in to work out, we’ve got questions for days for nearly all of them.

MLSE ranked last by Sports Illustrated – Posted Sports One possible reason for the club’s perpetual futility, according to Sports Illustrated, is its ownership group. The magazine ranked Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment last among the 30 NHL owners on a feature on its Web site on Tuesday.

One job done, more still to be done. Eventually Okay, so they’ve got a coach, the expected news finally happened and everyone got their fix of Raptors stuff, right? Hope so because outside of the possible hiring of assistant coaches we’ve been talking about for months, there’s no news until the lottery in a week’s time.

The Canadian Press: Toronto Raptors sign head coach Jay Triano to three-year deal "It's been a great opportunity to see what he's made of, and see what his basketball mindset is," Colangelo said of Triano's years as an assistant. "But then to see it put into action when he was named the interim head coach, he was given not the most ideal circumstances to fight through. Yet each day he showed up with a positive attitude."

RAPTORS: Jay Triano Named Head Coach Toronto Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo announced Monday that Jay Triano has been promoted to head coach and signed to a three-year contract. Triano took over the head coaching duties on an interim basis December 3, 2008 following the dismissal of Sam Mitchell. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Picture of Nathan Jawai’s girlfriend Jawai’s dream of playing in the NBA was almost shattered before it started when routine pre-season testing with the Toronto Raptors picked up a cardiac abnormality and he was forced to the sidelines for three months.

Many questions for Raptors heading into draft The Raptors head into the May 19 lottery at Secaucus, N. J. selecting ninth based on their 33-49 record. There is a slight chance (1.7%) of moving all the way to the top of the draft and grabbing one of those top three selections. There is also the chance teams slotted behind Toronto could move up pushing the Raptors as low as 12th.

Go call Mom and then come read this Refs blow a call and league admits it (it still doesn’t excuse Dallas for quitting on the play when the whistle didn’t blow), Yao Ming’s done for the year (I get a Mulligan on the “Houston in seven” thing, right), and one of the titans of the coaching ranks, Chuck Daly, passes away.

Dino Nation Blog: Talking Raptors With Tas (Part 2) Thanks to Tas for taking the time to talk ball with me for the Dino Nation Blog. I hope to have him back in future as I enjoyed doing this interview. You can both Tas and myself live blogging later today. Tas is doing the Rockets and Lakers at 3:30 pm and I have the Magic and Celtics at 8pm. Live Blogs continue on The Score throughout the NBA Playoffs.

Slam dunk choice for award – Niagara Falls Review Jay Triano is coaching at the highest level of basketball, but he has never forgotten his roots. The interim Toronto Raptors coach, who could be named the permanent head coach in the near future, will be honoured by Brock University Monday with the Jimmy Rose Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award.

Blue Jays’ hot start costs Pizza Pizza lotza dough The Toronto Blue Jays sure are cookin' this season, and so is Pizza Pizza, delivering on its pledge of a free slice for Rogers Centre fans whenever Jays pitchers rack up seven strikeouts or more in a Friday, Sunday or holiday Monday game.

New role for Raptor swingman? – Sportsnet.ca While many fans called in to the post-game show this season to constantly lament Parker's production or lack thereof, in these eyes, he could still be a key part of the team going forward.

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Rap of the Day

This I can explain. His low usage rate when he is on the floor minimize his impact on team stats, such as team O/D rating and even plus minus (since that stat also accounts for the other members of the rotation. However, when he is being used, his individual stats, or the stats that are only dependant on his contributions, he looks pretty good, pretty great even.

Basically, like what everyone else has been saying, it comes down to usage rate. Involve him enough in the offense and there's no reason why his individual efficiency won't be reflected in the team stats.

Now here's where you might say "but the raptors lose more when he shoots more than average, so the usage rate argument doesn't hold up". That's a fair point, but I would argue that Jonas often gets those extra field goals when A) the guards are putting up a ton of bricks and Jonas is cleaning the glass, or B) he's a last resort after its clear that the other scoring options aren't working. In both scenarios, the team as a whole is playing below average, so it makes sense that they would win a lower percentage of games.